A star who smashed a Celtic record and a current Rangers star are transfer targets at Everton.
David Moyes could be about to put an Old Firm spin on his Everton midfield with a Celtic record holder and Rangers star on his radar.
The Toffees are moving into a new era under the Scotsman at the helm for a second time, moving away from Goodison Park and aiming to climb the Premier League table. Transfers will be needed to get that done and there are two players he unite in midfield to get that done, Mohamed Diomande and Matt O’Riley.
Diomande is one of Rangers’ top assets with three years left on his deal and impressive at Ibrox so far. O’Riley meanwhile is with Brighton but left Celtic last summer in a move that set a new Scottish transfer record which previously stood at £25m after Jota's move from Celtic to Al Ittihad last summer.
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Everton could sign Rangers star and Celtic favourite
According to Sky Sports, “Everton would be keen on Matt O’Riley this summer - if Brighton sanction a move - but expect to face competition from big European clubs.” They go on to state that “There is uncertainly around the midfielder after he was an irregular part of Fabian Hurzeler’s team in his first season, in part due to an injury at the start of the campaign, while also playing out of position.”
Brighton reportedly see him as a player who could make a big impact next season and there is mounting Serie A interest in the Danish international. Central midfield is an area Moyes and Everton will be keen to bolster with Abdoulaye Doucoure leaving the club after his contract comes to a close while Orel Mangala is en route back to Lyon following his season long loan spell.
According to the Express, “Diomande is a player Everton chiefs have identified as a candidate to bolster Moyes' ranks in the middle of the park.” After time at Nordsjaelland, Diomande spent the second half of the 2023/24 season on loan with Rangers before that deal was made permanent in a deal worth approximately £4.3million. Player trading is set to be a key pillar of the new regime at Ibrox under 49ers Enterprises.
Ex Everton recruitment guru heads for Ibrox
Meanwhile, Nils Koppen is to leave his role as Rangers technical director with Moyes’ former recruitment guru to replace him, Dan Purdy. He was head of recruitment at Everton when he arrived at the club and after a former colleague in Kevin Thelwell moved north to take on the sporting director role at Rangers, he is set to join him in Govan.
Purdy worked with Thelwell to navigate Everton’s journey through murky financial waters and do enough to help put a team on the park that could avoid Premier League relegation. Players like Amadou Onana, James Garner, and Iliman Ndiaye were brought in despite walking on a financial tightrope as complications with PSR regulations could have arisen. His exit from Everton comes with the Merseyside club possibly looking at a recruitment team model instead, which is involving various people like Moyes and key club staff. Koppen originally joined Rangers as director of football recruitment in 2024 before stepping up to become technical director last November.
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